The Dance of The Swan Queen
by Olivia Janae
Summary: Regina is captivated by the beautiful Swan Queen One shot


**A/N: I told my readers that the person who was review number one hundred would get a one shot of their choice! MsCherrio, I hope this was something along the lines of what you wanted! I have to admit your prompt would have worked better in a multi-chaptered story! Still, I hope you enjoy it! Thanks so much for reading my work and I hope I can continue to entertain you!**

The Dance of The Swan Queen

Swan Lake? Ugh, no thank you. It was cliché. It was boring. Even she, who had little interest in dance and therefore seldom went to the ballet, had seen three different renditions in her lifetime. No. She had no interest in going. She would much rather stay in her hotel room drinking mini bottles of top shelf vodka and watching bad television like she always did on business trips.

At least that was how she had felt this time the previous evening. As a matter of fact, the only reason she had gone to this waste of time event was because her pinhead of a boss, the chauvinist asshole, had assumed that because they were women, she and her colleague, Kathryn, would like to go.

Yet here she was settling into her seat that was even closer to the stage than the one she had occupied the night before.

Had she ever seen a Swan Queen as enthralling, as soft yet vivaciously stirring as the lead dancer of the Boston Ballet? She was mesmerizing. She was arousing and devastatingly beautiful. She was enthralling. Regina had left the theatre the night before, tears still pouring down her face, unable to think of anything but the pale vision leaping to her death. The image had hung about her as she brushed her teeth and got into bed. She had tossed and turned in the stiff hotel sheets, wrestling with desire as her mind whispered over sensuous movements of the flowing legs and spinning arms.

The morning light had washed away the thoughts of the swirling beauty, replacing them with worries of the day, but my lunch the image reappeared hauntingly; plaguing her mind throughout meetings and business lectures. Finally during her lunch break she had slipped down the street to the box office, an addict seeking a fix, and had purchased a ticket for a repeat performance sans Kathryn.

Yes, she chastised herself as she toyed with the program in her lap; you bought a ticket, an expensive ticket no less, simply to see a woman. If this isn't a wake up call that you need a love life, Regina, than nothing will be.

Her nerves crackled as she waited in the full theatre; her pantyhosed leg bouncing while she compulsively smoothed her business suit. Why was she nervous? That was just silly. There was no reason to be nervous. It was not as though the blonde vision would see her or even know she was alive in any way.

Still, her heart leapt when the lights flashed once and then began to fall signaling the beginning of the performance. Excitement raced through her and she leaned forward in her seat teeth catching her bottom lip as music beginning to drift from the pit. This was it! She would appear soon; the beautiful dancer that had captured her mind all day.

The stage lit onto a forest scene with dancers jumping merrily in celebration of the prince and Regina's leg began to bounce again. She had been so distracted by the beauteous Swan Queen the night before that she forgotten all about the first Act and the fact that the woman was not in it.

Her mind drifted as the cheerful teens danced and drank, filled with glee.

She tried to concentrate, willing the dancers to hold her attention but she just was not a fan of dance. She stifled a yawn and softly began to pick at her nails. It was her turn to cover dinner the following afternoon; where should she take them? Did the hotel have a concierge? If so she had missed it. Could she look up a restaurant online? Hmm, she had been craving Thai food; maybe there was a good Thai restaurant near here.

She had leaned back in her seat, her mind wandering through her responsibilities when the lights dimmed again and reopened on a darkened night beside the lake. Anticipation crashed through her as she watched the evil villain spin and dance.

This is ridiculous. Calm down!

Her fingernail found her teeth and she waited, watching the prince aim his bow and then back away in awe.

_And there she was._

Regina's breath caught in her throat, her hand flying to her lips in stunned awe. The beautiful swan of a woman tip toeing her way on stage, long and slender, graceful and delicate. She was breathtaking; every bit as captivating as she had been the night before.

She watched, mesmerized as the thin willowy body dipped and spun, seducing her through her tragedy. Regina couldn't pull her eyes away, transfixed by the spell the dancer was casting until once again she leapt to her death and Regina was tearfully clapping.

She was developing a quick hangover as the lights came up in the theatre, shocking her back into the real world. Her heart still beat in her throat, her body still roused by the sensuous movements, tingling from the artistic beauty – she had to meet her. She had to meet – she ripped through the program until the page opened to a pale beautiful face with light blonde hair and shimmering green eyes – Emma. She had to meet Emma.

"I thought you were the one who is always telling me to embrace the arts, Kathryn."

"I don't know if you can say that it's the arts you're wanting to embrace."

"Oh hush." Regina scoffed at her friend as they headed through the doors of the building towards a quick lunch, "I'm a lesbian; a lover of women. Doesn't that mean that I'm intrinsically designed to appreciate the beauty of the female form, let's say… in dance, more then the average person? Is it really a surprise I was so taken with the performance?"

Kathryn laughed, "I think that all boils down to a simple fact, Regina needs to get laid."

Regina wasn't listening. They were passing the theatre and her attention had fallen to the five-foot high poster of Emma-the-dancer's face.

"Do you really mean to tell me you aren't taken with that?" She didn't realize she had stopped walking until Kathryn scoffed and began to pull on her, "you've got it bad. Is it possible to fall in love with someone you've never met? You're beginning to make me think it is."

"Oh don't be ridiculous, Kathryn, really. I just appreciate talent and beauty."

"Uh huh, talent. That's what you appreciate. I think you just want to appreciate her between the sheets."

Regina flushed lightly, "I would not complain if I were given the opportunity."

They ate a quick and satisfying meal before heading back at a rush, discussing the upcoming lecture.

"Heya get your flowers here! Beautiful roses! Beautiful tulips! Heya! Heya!"

Kathryn rolled her eyes as they walked past the shouting vendor, a finger in their ears against the offending noise. "Come on ladies! Beautiful ladies! Beautiful flowers for beautiful ladies!" Kathryn sneered, glaring at him but Regina had stopped walking.

"What?"

"Huh? I'm sorry, what?" Regina blinked out of her thoughts.

"What's wrong?"

Regina chuckled hoping that Kathryn couldn't catch the edge of guilt to her voice, "Nothings wrong I was just thinking flowers would be nice."

Kathryn stared at her as though she had never seen her before, "you want flowers? Oh stop being silly, Regina. Come on, we're late."

Regina shrugged out of Kathryn's grip, working to keep her face neutral, "you go ahead without me. I'll meet you."

Kathryn bit her lip glancing at her watch and wordlessly nodded, heading back toward their hotel and the next lecture.

Regina waited until she saw her enter the lobby before turning back to the man. Flowers were nice, she enjoyed them as much as the next person did but what had caught her eye was one of the many signs on the flower vendor's booth _"Delivers to any building, theatre or business in the district." _This was perfect. She would send her flowers and then she would have a perfect opening conversation point.

"Good afternoon." Regina had to all but yell over his bellow to get his attention.

"Good afternoon, good afternoon, my fine lady. What can I do you for?"

Regina rolled her eyes at the mans lecherous grin, "Is your sign correct? You can deliver to the theatres near here?"

"That's right-y, that's right-y only add a ten dollar delivery fee."

"That's a bit steep."

"Lady, my prices are my prices. Want the flowers or not?"

"Right. I suppose I can't expect not to be taken advantage of by a man selling on a street corner. Can you deliver there? Tonight, to one of the dancers?" she pointed two buildings up.

"Do it all the time, ma'am, do it all the time."

He was giving her a headache. "Right. Then please," the decision was instantaneous. She grabbed the bouquet of a dozen crisp and clean white roses, "deliver these tonight to the lead dancer. The Swan Queen."

"All right-y, all right-y. Swan Queen, Swan Queen, Swan Queen. Yes indeed-y. Consider it done." He wrapped the flowers and wrote a note on them.

Regina rushed back to the lecture slipping into her seat moments after it began.

Her friend frowned, "Where are the flowers?"

She shushed her from the corner of her mouth trying to ignore the amusement that immediately began to blossom across Kathryn's face, "Nooo! You didn't."

Regina shushed her again; avoiding eye contact but the light blush across her cheeks was confirmation enough.

Their meetings ran late that evening and instead of nestling in the dark of a theatre watching the object of her sudden infatuation, Regina found herself in the hotel restaurant with Kathryn, trying desperately to lose the woman without telling her where she truly would be going.

"I don't know, I just feel like a walk. Don't you enjoy the atmosphere of a big city at night? We see so little of that in Storybrooke."

"No!" Kathryn groaned, "I don't. Besides, it's cold. I want to stay inside and drink some more of this." She held up her Irish coffee.

"Well suit yourself then. You stay inside and get pleasantly drunk."

"Regina! I'm not letting you go walking in the middle of the night by yourself."

"The middle of the night, Kathryn; don't be ridiculous. I will be back soon."

"We should be going to bed soon. Not getting mugged."

"I assure you Kathryn, I have no intention of getting mugged." As a matter of fact the only intention she had was to make it to the stage door before the dancers left for the night. She couldn't help it. She had to see if the Swan Queen had received her flowers. She had to speak to her, see what she was like.

Suspicion crossed Kathryn's slightly rosy from drink face, "Wait. What are you really doing?"

Regina stood regally stiff and rolled her eyes, "Goodnight, Kathryn."

She bundled her jacket around her as she stepped from the hotel lobby. Where was the stage door? Did people usually wait there? She was still a bit early; she didn't usually emerge from the theatre postproduction for another ten minutes. Would the dancers leave before the audience made it outside or would it take them longer?

She hesitated in the florescent lights of the marquee unsure of whether or not she should approach the stranger. Was that creepy? Was she becoming something of a stalker? Perhaps she should do what she usually did and take the situation head on, inform the strange vision that she was attracted to her and ask her to dinner. Except, could she do that to something so pale and sweet? This was an unsettling feeling, this insecurity, because she, Regina Mills, was never insecure about anything. She was a woman of order.

This sudden infatuation was putting her on her head.

"Excuse me, where is the stage door?" If she had expected the bodyguard to refuse her the information or show any sign of distrust she was disappointed. He simply rolled his eyes at the tedious question and pointed toward her left.

Regina bit back a reprimand and with one nod, followed the corner. Small groups of people were already waiting there, giggling excited as their fangirl hearts twittered eagerly. She took a step forward and stopped; try as she might, she just couldn't force herself to join them. Instead she found a shadowed spot at the mouth of the alley where she could wait and hopefully catch the Swan Queen on her own.

Nerves began to shoot through her as she waited. What would she say? Hi, I think you're beautiful, please come home with me? This was silly. What was she doing here? She was acting like a teenager.

She turned to go, hoping her dignity could still be saved but just then the stage door slammed open and people began to stream out. Her stomach flip-flopped and she was glued to the spot, watching anxiously thrilled as dancers filed out, unrecognizable out of make-up and wardrobe.

What if she didn't recognize her?

She hadn't realized that she was holding her breath until the stream of dancers began to lessen to a trickle. She sighed with a disappointed flourish, straightening her hair disappointedly. She must have missed her. Of course, she missed her. This was silly. What had she expected?

"Swan Queen! Swan Queen!" A group of young girls called excitedly bouncing.

Regina's breath caught as a beautiful blonde slipped through the door, looking surprised as if she hadn't expected a posse of people waiting for her.

Regina blinked stunned by the fire of desire that ripped through her. She had been expecting a small delicate little bird of a woman but she, in fact, was the exact opposite. Her lose blonde curls were released from the tight hold of the headpiece she wore during the ballet and hung billowing down her shoulders. Her face had been washed of make up and instead of light dancers get-ups she donned knee-high boots, tight jeans, a ribbed tank top and a tight red leather jacket. Her body, which had seemed wispy and delicate on stage, was strong and all muscle up close. Suddenly, out of her delicate feminine costume, the woman excluded a touch of tomboyish masculinity that Regina found oh so alluring. A smile touched Regina's red lips when she saw that in the woman's arms were a large bouquet of white roses.

Regina was frozen by the transition from Swan Queen to person as the woman smiled accepting quick hugs from her fans then started down the alley toward her.

"Excuse me." The blonde said politely as she scooted by her, softly touching her arm with a sideways smile.

Regina opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. Then the woman was gone.

She was furious with herself! Why hadn't she said anything?

Her fury doubled the next evening when the beautiful blonde scoot past her again, clutching the new bouquet of flowers. She wasn't surprised at herself anymore when the woman slipped by with a small but curious smile on the third night.

On the fourth evening she had sent her flowers yet again and she was ready. She was going to say something to her. She only had another forty – eight hours left of her business trip and she was not going to waste another night.

She brushed her hair even though it lay perfectly and double-checked her make up, wishing she had brought something nicer than business suits to Boston. She would feel more confident in a cocktail dress or a sleek number of some other form.

She waited at the stage door this time, her nerves set. This was happening. She refused to stand mute as the woman passed yet again.

The sky above her crackled and moaned and a rain began to pelt down on them.

"Of course." She sighed, dryly.

Still she waited as the stream of people reduced to a trickle and then held her breath, gathering her courage. On cue the blonde stepped through the door.

Before Regina's mouth could open the blonde pulled her red leather jacket over her head and pelted down the alley.

She watched her round the corner, stunned for a moment before she decided to fly into action before she lost her courage.

"God damn it!" she mumbled as she followed, her heels slipping lightly on the wet ground.

She followed her across the street, down another alley and down two dark deserted blocks before she got anywhere near the speeding woman.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry but I-," Regina reached for the woman, catching her arm.

It happened very fast then. One moment she was reaching, her fingers resting lightly on her muscled forearm and the next she was gasping, hacking as the air was knocked from her lungs; her body slammed by the throat into the hard wet cement.

"Why are you following me? I don't have any money on me and I will kick your ass if you try to find out for yourself!" the beautiful blonde stood above her, a choke hold on her throat as her face snarled.

A sprinkle of fear traveled up Regina's spine.

"Wait!" The woman's face darkened, "You're the woman who has been watching me at the stage door. What the hell, lady?"

"What are you a Power Ranger?" Regina gasped and began smacking at the hand clamped tightly on her windpipe.

"Oh, sorry."

She was released and panicked; she scrambled back against the wall in terror. "What the hell is wrong with you? Who the hell attacks someone for trying to greet them? How dare you!"

"Lady, I've been mugged three times this year. Either tell me what the hell you want or I'm pulling out my mace."

Regina's muddy hands flew into the air in defense, "I'm sorry! I've been trying to catch you since the theatre."

"Yeah, I gathered that."

"I saw your performance and I was simply trying to tell you how much I admired it." Regina's words were spitting. Her head ached, her chest felt as though and elephant had sat on it and suddenly her infatuation for the unknown woman was something more of civil distain.

"Wait, you're a fan. You were waiting at the stage door for me?"

"You took off so fast I had to chase after you to stop you."

"But you've been there for days."

"I'm an admirer. I've been sending you flowers. Christ, I was trying to get the courage up to talk to you. Suddenly I'm thinking it would have been wiser of me to avoid such interactions."

Emma's face twisted as she worked through the situation until, mortified, she dropped to her knees, "Oh my god, I'm so sorry."

"That's all right." She growled, not meaning it at all. This was everything except all right.

"No! Oh god, I'm horrible." The woman wrapped her arm around her and lifted her to her feet with ease, "Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I uh, I've been mugged three times this year. I've been taking all of these self defense classes, oh god!"

Regina tried to brush away the mud but there was no point, she was covered.

"That" Regina spat, "was absolutely inappropriate."

The Swan Queen bounced back and forth on the balls of her feet, torment clear on her face, "Oh god, you're covered in mud."

"Imagine that."

"Man, I suck! Look, I live like two blocks from here. Let me help you clean up. No, really" she cried when she saw the woman begin to pretest, taking a step away and limping, "Shit your foot! Did you hurt your foot?"

"I think I turned my ankle when you flipped me. These high heels are tall and I wasn't prepared for such an exuberantly unwarranted response."

"Oh hell, shit, I'm sorry, ma'am. Please. I'm going to feel terrible unless I can help. I should at least get you out of those heels. "

The woman shoved her hands in her pockets, doing her best to look nonthreatening. "I swear I'm not dangerous! See." She smiled foolishly. "I'm sorry."

Regina studied her, eyes narrowed, arms crossed against her chest. "Fine. If you give me that mace."

"Oh thank god." The Swan Queen melted, a genuine smile gracing her lips as she handed the small spray can to her, "Come on."

She wrapped her arm around Regina's waist so the woman could lean on her instead of her injured ankle.

"I'm Emma, by the way." The blonde smiled hopefully at her and despite the pain radiating through her body and the ice cold droplets that fell like bullets from the sky Regina couldn't help but to smile back, enchanted by the glorious Swan Queen.


End file.
